Curated Snowboarding Expert Mike Leighton got his hands on the 2024 GNU GWO Snowboard this spring. Check out how it performed in the carving, freestyle, and freeride categories, but consider the fact that every rider is different; if you have any questions about the GWO Snowboard or need recommendations on which board would be best for you, reach out to a Snowboarding Expert here on Curated.

Before we get started, it’s worth noting that Curated Experts are not sponsored by any brands. All of these reviews are unbiased.

Brand Claims

What does GNU Snowboards claim about this board? The GWO is a ready-for-anything floaty, curvy, freestyle, approachable, affordable, eco-friendly snowboard. It's a playful flex and features Magne-Traction. It has GNU’s Banana rocker, which means the board has a little rocker in the middle, a mild camber out towards the inserts, and then gently rises.

Overall Impressions

What is your overall impression of this board? The new GWO is one of those workhorse boards in the beginner-intermediate range. I had a lot of fun on this board. It's playful. The real highlight of this board is the features you get in the price tag. It is a great affordable option. It's not the fastest, the flashiest, or even the most stable, but it will do many things really well.

Carving

How does it turn? It can make a decent carve turn on mellower terrain.

What is the edge hold like? That little bit of Magne-Traction will give you some good edge control. If conditions are a little bit harder, you’ll still get an edge, but if you're trying to spin around, land something, and come up a couple of degrees short, you might feel a little bit of a catch there. The good thing is this board is incredibly forgiving in that sense. The rocker in the middle and a little bit of mild camber won’t throw you flat on your face. You can feel confident trying new things and getting outside your comfort zone.

How does it perform at speed? How is its energy/acceleration? It's not the most stable at higher speeds.

Freestyle

How is it for freestyle snowboarding? It’s fine to take some runs through the terrain park.

Could you speak about playfulness and pop? The GWO isn’t going to be the most poppy board with that playful flex and mild pitted camber. It won’t be that spring board you might feel on other boards. That said, it's going to be just fine to take some runs through the terrain park.

How is it for buttering? You can work on your buttering with this board.

Freeride

How is it in powder? It has some float.

How is it riding in the trees? How is its maneuverability? It pops in the trees. This board is fun to explore some of the mellower trees and pop in and out of bumps.

What terrain is this board good for? This board will be most at home on easier runs. It will also be a great board to introduce yourself to the terrain park. I focused on riding this on some green terrain and runs that I used to teach a lot on with newer snowboarders who were starting to get into blue terrain.

What kind of terrain should riders avoid with it? Black diamond, steeper grooved terrain will be the upper limit of where you will feel confident turning on this. You won’t want to be throwing big open carves on that terrain.

Recommendations

Who would you recommend this board to? I recommend this board to anyone looking for their first snowboard set up, who has rented it several times, is committed, and doesn't want to break the bank. I'd recommend this board up to an intermediate rider. This would also be a great board for someone wanting something to chase the kids around as they progress.

Who should avoid this board, and are there other better options out there for them? Players above the intermediate level may want something stiffer.

Snowboards work differently for various types of riders. If you want or need help finding the right board for you, reach out to Mike or any other Snowboarding Expert here on Curated for free, personalized recommendations on the best board for you.